Magazine for fence-looms.



No. 811,500. PATBNTED JAN. 30, 1906.

' D. H. HAYES.

MAGAZINE FOB. FENCE LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED rnn.1a,1ooa.

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MAGAZINE FOR FENG'E LOOMS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB.16.1905.

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No. 811,500. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

i D. H. HAYES. MAGAZI OE FENCE L0 APPLIOA FILED FEB.16,1

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parts of the fabric-making machine. is an elevation of one of the feeding-wheels,

NITED srA' s PATENT OFFICE.

DENNIS H. HAYES, OF ADRIXN, MICHIGAN.

MAGAZINE FOR FENCE-LOOIVIS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

Application filed February 16, 1905- Serial No. 245,839-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DENNIS H. HAYES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adrian, in the county of Lenawee, State of Michigan,have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Magazines for Fence- Looms; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which. it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an automatic magazine-feed for supplying the transverse or woof wires to a wire-fabric machine; and it consists in the construction and arrangement or parts, hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to producea machine of the character described wherein the arrangement is such as to afford a constant supply of the transverse wires to a fencemaking machine irrespective of the operation of the wire-straightening device which straightens the transverse or woof wires before their presentation to said machine, provision being made for furnishing the transverse wires in a great quantity and for supplying them automatically one at a time as they are required for use, enabling the fabricmaking machine to run continuously, although the wire-straightening device may at times be stopped because of the entanglement of the wire or for other causes.

The above object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the inclined magazine which contains the transverse wires, the mechanical feeding devices for carrying said-wires downwardly in the magazine toward the discharge end thereof, and the dump-shaft, so called, which receives the wires from the straightening-machine, (not shown,) cuts them the proper length, and discharges them into the magazine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the magazine and a sectional view through certain Fig. 3

having flexible arms projecting from the periphery, which engage and carry downwardly in the magazine the transverse Wires. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View, partly in section,

showing the manner of raising and lowering the shafts on which the feeding-wheels are mounted. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section of one of the guideways in the magazine which confine the ends of the transverse wires and directs them properly to the automatic feeding devices, taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section of the discharge end. of the magazine and the operative parts ofthe fabric-making machine. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing said parts in a changed position.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates the cross-bars of the magazineframe, which are suspended from the ceiling or other suitable support by means of the rods 2 or other suitable hangers. Supported upon said cross-bars are the inclined rails 3, carrying the undercut guide-strips 4, which are secured thereto in any suitable manner and which in conjunction with the rails 3 form guideways 5, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which the opposite ends of the woof or cross wires 6 are confined in their downward passage upon the inclined rails of the magazine. Also mounted upon the cross-bars 1, centrally between the rails 3, is abearing-strip 7, which supports the center of the transverse wires and prevents them from sagging. To provide for various lengths of stay-wires, one of the rails 3 and the central strip 7 are made adjustable by means of the longitudinal slots 8 in the cross-bars 1, through which pass the binding-bolts 9, that secure said rail and bearing-strip to said cross-bars.

Formed upon the up er ends of the guidestrips are the opposed oppers 10, the upper sides of which are connected by the curved fender 11 onto which the transverse Wires fall, the lower sides of said hoppers being connected by the transverse strip 12, carrying the curved guard 13, under which the transverse wires pass in their exit from the hopper and which directs them more perfectly into the upper ends of the ways 5. Suitably journaled above the hopper is a channeled dumpshaft 14, which is suitably rotated by means (not shown) and which is provided for cutting the cross-wires from the stock-wire 15, (see Fig. 1;) which is fed from the wire-straightening machine (not shown) into the channels of said shaft in a manner common and well understood in the art, the arrangement being such that as the dump-shaft is rotated intermittently the transverse wires are cut the proper length and dropped from the chan- IOC nels of said shaft into the magazine, from which they are directed into the guideways 5.

The feeding of the transverse wires down the inclined ways in the magazine is accomplished by means of the flexible feeding-arms 16, which extend radially from the periphery of the wheels 17,fixed to the transverse shafts 18 and 19, respectively, which are j ournaled on the frame of the magazine. The shaft 18 is driven from a lower shaft 20 through the medium of the belt 21, and the shaft 19 is driven from the shaft 18 through the medium of the sprocket-chain 22. The normal position of the shafts 18 and 19 is such as to present the feeding-arms 16 in the path of the transverse or stay wires as they travel down the guideways of the magazine, whereby the rotation of the wheels carrying said arms causes said arms to press against the cross wires with a yielding pressure sufhciently forcible to keep them feeding downwardly in the magazine. Bylocating the upper shaft 1 9 at the head of the guideways the rotary arms 16 are caused to receive and direct the crosswires properly into the upper ends of said ways, thereby insuring their passage through the ways with but little liability of their becoming crossed or entangled in their passage so as to interfere with the proper feeding thereof. Two shafts only are shown carrying the rotary feeding-arms, but additional shafts may be employed located nearer the lower end of the magazine should it be found necessary. When the cross -wires in their downward passage in the guideways of the magazine reach the lower ends of said ways, they are arrested by the reciprocatory gates 23 and 24, mounted to slide vertically in the supporting arms 25, extending from the brackets 26, mounted on the lower cross-bar of the frame and supporting at their upper ends the rock-shaft 27, which is ournaled therein and extends transversely of the frame. Mounted upon the shaft 27 are the oscillatory heads 28, the opposite sides of which are pivotally connected by the links 29 and 30 with the gates 24 and 23, respectively, whereby through the rocking of said shaft said gates are caused to reciprocate vertically. Leading from the discharge end of the hopper are the inclined tracks 31, down which the crossstrands are adapted to slide to the dies in which the crossed strands of the fabric are confined when joined by the tying-staples, as is well understood in the art. The gates 23 and 24 descend into contact with said tracks and rise therefrom in reciprocal succession. These gates arrest the cross-wires as they are discharged from the hopper and feed them into the machine one at a time in the following manner: When the gates 23 are down, the cross-wires 6 lie against them and are prevented from sliding down the tracks 31. As the gates 23 are caused to ascend and the gates 24 to descend through the operation of the shaft 27 the lowermost cross-wire rolls into contact with said gates 24, so that when the gates 24 rise and the gates 23 descend said cross-wire is permitted to feed down the tracks 31, while the remaining cross-wires are held back by the gates 23. 'By this operation the cross-wires are successively fed one at a time into the machine as they are required. When a cross-wire is discharged down the tracks 31 by the reciprocatory feeding-gates, it lies across the upper faces of the blocks 32, in which are located one set of dies 33, that receive the cross-strands of the fabric. The blocks 32 are mounted on a reciprocatory beam 34 of the machine which is opposed to the fixed beam 35, that carries the blocks 36, in which are seated the other set of dies 37. After a cross-wire has been discharged onto the blocks 32, mounted onthe reciprocatory beam, said beam moves rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, causing the wire to drop onto the projecting fingers 38 of the slotted plates 39, secured to the sides of the blocks 32, so that as the beam moves forward the cross-wire is directed by the slots 40 in said plates properly into the dies as said dies are brought together by the movement of the beam 34, as shown in Fig. 7, in which position the crossed strands of the fabric are tied by the descent of a series of plungers 41, which are secured in a vertically-movable crosshead 42, and which drive the tying-staples around the crossed strands between the working faces of the dies, as will be well understood. In order to time the discharge of the cross-wires from the feeding-gates with the operation of tying the intersecting wires, a bracket 43 is mounted upon the face of the cross-head 42, which in the descent of said cross-head engages an adjusting-screw 44, mounted in one end of a rocker-arm 45, which is secured to the end of the shaft 27, and whose opposite end is attached to a returning-spring 45*. It will therefore be apparent that upon the descent of the crosshead 42 the rock-shaft 27 will be actuated to reciprocate the gates 23 and 24 and that said gates are again reciprocated as the cross-head rises by means of the spring 45, which returns the rock-shaft to its normal position, whereby upon each descent of the cross-head in the operation of tying the intersecting wires held between the working faces of the dies the feeding-gates are actuated to discharge a cross-wire in readiness for a succeeding operation, insuring the feeding of the cross-wires from the magazine by the operation of a movable part of the fabric-machine and only as they are successively required.

In order to depress the feeding-arms 16 below the plane of the guideways in which the cross-wires travel in their downward course in the magazine, the shafts 18 and 19 carrying said rotary arms are mounted in slidable boxes 46, (see Fig. 4,) held between the jaws of the brackets 47, bolted to the cross-bars 1. Pivoted to the brackets 47 and engaging said boxes are the eccentric levers 48, to which are attached the operating-rods 49, which lead to the levers 50, pivoted in and projecting above a suitable platform 51. By drawing upon said levers 50 the eccentric levers 48 will be actuated to allow the boxes 46 to drop in their supporting-brackets and carry the rotary feeding-arms 16 below the plane of the guideways in which the cross-wires travel, thereby permitting said wires to slide down to the lower ends of said ways in cases Where the straightening-machine may have been stopped fora considerable time and the crosswires nearly exhausted from the magazine, enabling the first wires cut to pass quickly to the point of use. After the magazine has again been filled the shafts 18 and 19 are again raised through the operation of the cocentric levers, so as to cause the rotary feeding-arms to again engage and press the crosswires downwardly in the ways of the magazine. Because of the yielding nature of the rotary feeding-arms they will slip past the cross-Wires should the wires be momentarily arrested in their downward movement, but will exert enough pressure thereon to cause the wires to again feed down the guideways when the arresting cause has been removed.

It is designed to have the magazine of such length as to hold from two thousand five hundred to three thousand cross-wires, so that a sufficient supply of cross-wires will be always on hand to permit a continuous operation of the fabric-machine notwithstanding any temporary stopping of the Wire straightening and cutting mechanism, a material advantage over the common method of straight ening the wire for each cross-stay as it is fed into the fabric-machine for immediate use, because of the fact that any failure of the wire -straightener to operate perfectly will cause the stopping of the fabric-machine.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A magazine -feed for Wire -fabric machines, comprising a guide for receiving and directing the cross-wires, means for automatically placing the cross-wires in said guide, and means at the discharge end of the guide for feeding the cross-wires successively into the machine.

2. A magazine-feed for wire-fabric machines, comprising an inclined guide adapted to receive and direct the cross-wires, means for discharging the cross-Wires into the upper end of said guide, reciprocatory feeding-gates at the lower end of said guide to discharge the cross-wires successively therefrom, and inclined tracks upon which said cross-wires are directed from the magazine to the fabricmachine.

3. A magazine-feed for Wire-fabric machines, comprising a long inclined guide having ways for the ends of the cross -wires, means for directing-the cross-Wires into said ways, means for feeding the cross-wires down said ways, and means for discharging the cross-wires from said Ways intermittently.

4. In a magazine-feed for wire-fabric machines, the combination of the inclined magazine having guides to direct the cross-wires, means for automatically discharging the wires into said guides, means for directing the wires from said guides into the machine, feeding devices for regulating the discharge of said wires from the guides, said feeding devices being actuated by a movable part of the machine to discharge the cross-wires intermittently.

5. In a magazine-feed for wire-fabric machines, the combination of a magazine consisting of a long inclined way adapted to receive the cross-wires and direct them to the fabric-machine, of feeding devices adapted to engage the opposite ends of the cross-wires to feed said wires down said way, and means at the discharge end of the magazine for feeding the wires intermittently into the machine.

6. In a cross-wire-feed magazine, the combination of away adapted to contain and direct the cross-wires, means for engaging the opposite ends of said Wires to feed them along said way, and means for discharging the wires from the magazine into the machine.

7. A magazine for wire-fabric machines, comprising a long, inclined guideway, one side of said way being adjustable to accommodate various lengths of wires, means for feeding the wires along said way, and means for feeding the wires intermittently from said way into said fabric-machine.

8. A magazine-feed for wire-fabric machines, comprising a long, inclined way adapted to receive and direct the cross -wires, means for feeding the wires along said way, means for discharging the wires from the Way into the machine, the wire-feeding means being movable into engagement with and away from said wires.

9. A magazine -feed for wire -fabric machines, comprising along, inclined guideway, down which the wires are adapted to pass to the fabricmachine, means for discharging the Wires from the magazine into said machine, means for forcibly feeding the Wires along the magazine, and means for releasing the wires from said feed device to allow them to feedby gravity.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

DENNIS H. HAYES.

Witnesses:

V. S. WHEELER, Jr., 1. G. HowLETT. 

